Thanks

It is incumbent upon me, as I present this second edition to the esteemed readers, to thank a number of professors and brothers who assisted me in this work. At the head of these is my teacher, Dr. Hassan Makki Muhammad Ahmad, in whom I found all the qualities of a sincere, honest, and diligent scholar who embodies the Quran in his life, in word, deed, and thought. He was to me a great support, guide, and mentor. Furthermore, I acknowledge his great care for me and his personal interest in what I have accomplished and what I will accomplish. I cannot, in this place, do him justice, and I can only love him with the love of a student for his sheikh for all that he has given and offered. I also praise Sheikh Professor Hassan Al-Fatih Qarib Allah, a descendant of the pure Tayyibi household and one of the leaders of the Sammaniyya order in Sudan. I also extend abundant thanks to the esteemed Professor Dr. Ali Saleh Kara, Director of the Central Records Office, and to Dr. Ahmed Al-Mirghani and Mr. Muhammad Al-Amin Al-Mirghani of Al-Mirghani family, and to Professor Yusuf Fadl Hassan, and Dr. Zain Al-Abidin Abdul Hamid Al-Siraj, who stood by my side as a helper and guide, and to Dr. Al-Nasser Abu Kroug. I ask God to reward them all for what they have offered and to grant them the best reward.

Tariq Ahmed Osman

Khartoum 1989